Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another edition of our NBA DFS picks, pivots, and value plays! We have our second set of first-round games upon us today and another solid four-game slate. We are hoping for close games, but do have three games with double-digit spreads as the Cavs, Celtics, and Thunder are all heavy home favorites today.
The Grizzlies/Thunder game has the highest total but also the highest spread. The Warriors/Rockets game is our closest spread and should result in one of the best games to stack on the night. As always, I will do my best to give you guys some core plays as well as a few tournament picks for those GPP players out there.
This article will provide my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 4/20/25. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our excellent NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 1:00 p.m. EST on DraftKings and FanDuel.
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Today's NBA DFS Core Picks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC - PG ($10.9K DK, $11.2K FD)
SGA is the most expensive player on the slate and for good reason! He had an incredible regular season and gets a great matchup against the Grizzlies here. SGA is averaging the most fantasy points per game of anyone on the slate at 54!
Memphis is giving up the second-most fantasy points to opposing point guards across the last 30 games. Only the Jazz gives up more production to point guards. Additionally, this game has the highest total, and if the Grizzlies can keep it relatively close, we could potentially get a 60+ FP game from Shai here.
SGA had 57 and 58 fantasy points in his last two matchups against Memphis, and that was with playing less than 35 minutes. With it being the playoffs, we likely will see rotations get tighter. Unless this game blows out, we should see closer to 40 minutes for SGA.
The 2024-25 NBA Scoring Champion... Shai Gilgeous-Alexander!
⛈️ 1st Canadian born player to win scoring title
⛈️ Most PPG in Thunder history
⛈️ 5th scoring champ this century to shoot 50+% from the field pic.twitter.com/KdKU3BlI5z— NBA (@NBA) April 14, 2025
Stephen Curry, GSW - PG ($9K DK, $9.3K FD)
I am going to happily pay up for double PGs on this slate. He had a horrible outing against Houston in their last matchup, but in the playoffs, I am counting on him to step it up.
Curry usually becomes a monster during the playoffs. Last year, he averaged his most points during the playoffs in his career at 30.5 points per game! He now gets the benefit of Jimmy Butler III on his team, which will only help him create more shots and give more assist opportunities.
We just saw how pivotal Curry is for this team in the play-in, as he dropped 55 FP in their win over the Grizzlies. That is the version of Curry I'm expecting throughout the rest of the playoffs.
Also consider: Jayson Tatum - SF/PF ($9.9K DK, $10.1K FD), Donovan Mitchell - PG/SG (8.5K DK, 8.8K FD)
Today's NBA DFS Pivots
Alperen Sengun, HOU - C ($8.8K DK, $8.4K FD)
I have targeted centers against the Warriors all season long. They give up the most rebounds per game to centers, and they are undersized on the interior. They like to play small when they can with Draymond Green at center, but it leaves them vulnerable to skilled seven-footers like Sengun.
Sengun, who does a little of everything, could be a dangerous matchup for the Warriors in this series. Sengun has a double-double in five of his last six games against the Warriors and 35+ FP in all six.
This game has the closest spread as it is even; this should be a dogfight that could end up with a big game from Sengun and company.
Bam Adebayo, MIA - PF/C ($8.7K DK, $9K FD)
This is the perfect tournament pick. Miami is a 13-point underdog in this one, but I think that might be a bit excessive. Miami has a strong team and is rolling after two wins to secure a playoff spot. This game has the second-highest total on the slate at o/u 215.
Bam Adebayo gets a solid matchup that he has exploited in the past. Bam has started to be a more PF with Kel'el Ware emerging into the lineup. The Cavs have been susceptible to opposing PFs as they have given up the fifth most FPs across the last 30 games. In his most recent matchup, he had 60 FP! He has 40+ in two other recent matchups as well, making Bam a solid option, especially being PF eligible.
Unsung Hero Bam Adebayo v ATL:
17 PTS
11 REBS
5 ASTS
2 STLS
5 BLKS
+9 pic.twitter.com/fNOQiYVdEL— taskmaster (@bjay93_) April 19, 2025
Also consider: Paolo Banchero - SF/PF ($9.2K DK, $9.6K FD), Evan Mobley -PF/C ($8.2K DK, $8.6K FD)
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Today's NBA DFS Value Picks
Haywood Highsmith, MIA - SF/PF (DraftKings Only) ($3.9K DK; $4.5K FD)
Haywood Highsmith saw a massive increase in minutes in their play-in win over Atlanta. Erik Spoelstra hasn't been very consistent with his rotation, but hopefully, with how well Haywood played, that should guarantee him some extra minutes. He played almost 40 minutes and finished with 35 FP, which is well worth his cheap price. If he can continue to see 25 or so minutes, then this could be a solid value option.
Haywood Highsmith : 12 points (5-9 shooting & 2-6 from 3), 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals & no turnovers in a season-high 40 minutes off the bench pic.twitter.com/JrJCm2ZkFy
— Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) April 19, 2025
Jabari Smith Jr., HOU - PF/C (DraftKings Only) ($4.8K DK; $5.6K FD)
Jabari Smith Jr. is on the high end of the value side of things, but before he was scratched from the last three games of the season, he was playing quite well.
He had 25+ fantasy points in seven straight games and has shown he doesn't need much time to make a difference in a game. He is roughly around a 1.0 FPPM player and had 25 fantasy points in 27 minutes in his last matchup.
Jonathan Isaac, ORL - PF/C (DraftKings Only) ($3.7K DK, $4.4K FD)
You can tell there is a lack of value on the slate when I'm mentioning Jonathan Isaac. He has been extremely efficient, though, in the last three games, including their play-in win over the Hawks.
In the 54 minutes he played between the last three games, he finished with 96.4 FP. Averaging out to be 32 FPPG in 18 MPG. He is playing extremely well, and if he can continue to be efficient in limited playing time, then his cheap price may be worth a shot. The Magic may choose to give him more run this postseason because of his defensive prowess as they attempt to slow down an elite Boston offense.
Also consider: Ty Jerome - PG ($4.5K DK, $5.8K FD), Max Strus - SG/SF ($4K DK, $5.3K FD), Alex Caruso - PG (DraftKings Only)/SG (DraftKings Only)/SF (FanDuel Only) ($3.8K DK,$4.9K FD), Dillon Brooks - PF (DraftKings Only)/SG (FanDuel Only)/SF (FanDuel Only) ($4.7K DK, $5K FD)
My Favorite NBA DFS Picks for Today
Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.
- My favorite overall play on the slate: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Stephen Curry/Alperen Sengun
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Bam Adebayo
- My favorite value play: Haywood Highsmith
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